Tradition, Toys, and Talents

My nieces came for a visit this weekend. We've been planning it for ages, especially the food part of the weekend. 

We made spooky Halloween food for the rest of the family, and a friend, and watched them eat gross out food. It was great fun.

Slippery spider webs, ghoulish ghosts, bat wings, zombie ooze, bloody pulp brew......we had it all.

The girls had so much fun planning this meal. They poured over cookbooks, made up menus, created shopping lists, and then helped prepare it all. They were great little chefs.

We've done this a couple years now. I think it's becoming a tradition. I know someday they won't want to do this anymore. But that day is not today.

And I'm enjoying the bat wings.

It looks like a chicken massacre in the living room. Feathers are flying everywhere.

We have three feather pillows on the sofa. One of them refuses to keep its feathers. They are on the furniture, the fur blankets, the dog, under tables, and all over the rug. Every time I pick up that pillow I get stabbed by several sharp pointy feathers. I'm constantly plucking them out of the pillow and tossing them out. 

But somehow more keep escaping without my plucking.

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I've been on the "Great Pillow Hunt" of 2012 for the past few months, hoping to find a pillow to replace this mess maker. 

No such luck.

My new toy. 

Yup, I finally did it. I succumbed to the lure of the iPhone 5. I've gone to the dark side. My life will never be the same.

Already I can feel it pulling me in. I've gotten very friendly with my new toy and don't really like to put it down. Not when there's so many wonderful apps out there to download. And play with.

I got sucked right into Instagram. And now I'm not sure I'll ever take a picture with a "real" camera again. 

Not when this is so. darn. convenient.

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Just kidding. At least about the "real" camera. I don't think I can ever stop shooting with my Nikon.

One of my first Instagram photos.

My friend, T, and I went shopping in this quirky, artsy, eclectic kind of town today. I was hoping to find some unique Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers. T was great at finding our way there. When we got off the highway, she told me which way to turn.

I can smell the shops, she said. I'm not telling the Man this or he might feel obligated to tell T's husband. That's a mighty powerful gift she has and I wouldn't want anything to hinder her.

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When we got to the center of town, we meandered our way through lots of little shops. Little did I know, they have already started to decorate for Christmas. And it's not even Election Day.

Oy vey.